The Democratic Party of Korea announced pledges for children a day before Children's Day. The party said it would introduce the "Our Child Independence Fund," build a 24-hour regional pediatric care responsibility system, expand support for care and after-school programs, and promote measures to guarantee basic academic ability.
On May 4 in the morning at the National Assembly, the Democratic Party of Korea held an event to announce its pledges for children and unveiled the details. Han Jung-ae, the party's policy committee chair, said, "We prepared pledges to expand support for children with the goal of making a country where all children grow up safely and healthily."
The children's pledges covered four areas: ▲ strengthening child welfare ▲ creating a safe growth environment ▲ expanding care and after-school support ▲ establishing a system to guarantee basic academic ability.
Rep. Yoo Dong-soo, who serves as the senior vice chair of the policy committee, presented improvement plans for the "Our Child Independence Fund." The "Our Child Independence Fund" is a system in which the government enrolls children under institutional care and those from low-income families in a fund, makes regular deposits of a set amount, and operates it until they become adults. Currently, if sponsors or parents fail to make deposits, they cannot receive the government's matching support.
Yoo said, "We have operated the Didim Seed Account since 2007, but there were problems in providing practical support due to its limitation of focusing on vulnerable groups and its matching-deposit structure," and added, "It is a system in which the state makes deposits regardless of whether payments are made, to compensate for those limits."
To strengthen children's physical and emotional safety, the Democratic Party of Korea will also establish a 24-hour pediatric medical system. Yoo said, "We will create a cooperation system among Moonlight Children's Hospitals, pediatric emergency centers, and child and adolescent centers so that treatment is available at night and on weekends and holidays."
In addition, Yoo said, "We will introduce a specialized teacher system for students facing emotional and behavioral crises and establish a one-stop support system for victims of digital sex crimes."
The party also decided to expand care and after-school support. Yoo explained, "We will expand neighborhood elementary care and operate high-quality care programs through cooperation between schools and local governments," adding, "By utilizing idle spaces and working with public institutions, we will reduce the burden on schools and establish a care system linked to culture and arts programs."
Regarding the guarantee of basic academic ability, he said, "We will prioritize budget and personnel support for schools with high rates of underachievement and establish a national-level diagnostic system that encompasses cognition, emotion, and health." He added, "We will reduce learning loss by expanding specialized teachers and providing tailored instruction, and we will also review comprehensive education innovation to strengthen digital literacy."